William hamilton



No. 619,567. Patented Feb. I4, I899.

W. HAMILTON. FACE PLATE FOB BURIAL GASKETS.

(Application filed Dec. 14, 1897.)

(No Model.)

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' silk or wire gauze.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM HAMILTON, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONAL CASKET COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

FACE-PLATE FOR BU RlAL-CASKETS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 619,567, dated February 14, 1899.

Application filed December 14,1897. smart. 661,782. (No model.) WW

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HAMILTON, of Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Face-Plates for Burial-Caskets, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a top plan View of a cover for a burial-casket provided with a face-plate constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, partly broken away; and Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the sliding panel I employ.

My invention relates to face plates for burial-caskets and is designed to do away with the difficulties arising from the use of glass plates or panels commonly used therein. Where these glass panels are employed they are liable to become broken in the course of transportation of the casket and in falling deface the features of the corpse. Moreover, when such caskets are exhumed it is often found that the swelling of the wood of which the cover is composed has broken the glass panel.

My invention overcomes these difficulties; and it consists in providing the casket with a frame over which is stretched a strip of a transparent fabric-such, for instance, as This non-brittle fabric takgs the place of the glass now ordinarily use In the drawings, 2 represents the cover of a burial-casket, which may be of any ordinary form and preferably provided with two removable panels 3 and 4, which are held in place by the usual catches 5, securing them removably to the cover. Beneath the panel at the head end of the cover I provide a sliding frame 6, which may be formed of metal or Wood and is guided in suitable slots at the sides of the opening. Over this frame is stretched a layer 7 of some comparatively transparent yielding non-brittle fabric, such as silk or wire gauze. The frame may be slid back when desired by means of a cord 8, secured at one end of the sliding frame.

It will be understood that the face-plate may be otherwise attached to the cover than by a sliding connection.

The advantages of my invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, since the disadvantages consequent upon the use of a brittle panel, such as glass, are done away with and a transparent panel obtained, which is not liable to breakage due to jars upon the cofiin or consequent upon swelling of the wood.

Many changes may be made in the particular fabric employed, since I claim The combination with a burial-casket, of a face-plate comprising a stretched sheet of transparent non-brittle gauze fabric.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM HAMILTON. Witnesses:

WM. D. HAMILTON, WM. J. CLARKE. 

